Increased consumption of pulses makes you healthy, reduces obesity and diabetes
The United Nations has declared 2016 as the ‘International Year of Pulses’ (IYP) offering the greatest opportunity to help increase food security for those with shortages and to tackle the increase of diseases linked to lifestyles such as obesity and diabetes. In the Sri Lankan context increased consumption of pulses would also have the added advantage of reducing the meat consumption to be aligned with the country’s cherished Buddhist culture. The Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and the Pulse Importers of Sri Lanka (PISL) are to popularise the increased consumption of pulses and to encourage the country’s farmers to grow more and more pulses and different varieties that are now not grown in Sri Lanka.
To announce this ‘Declaration’ a media briefing was held in Colombo, this week. According to the IYP Declaration pulses are a rich source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals (magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc) which help to cure ailments associated with the alimentary cannel such as indigestion and constipation and also regular intake of pulses can help prevent anaemia as they contain high quantities of iron and zinc. Pulses could be the best alternative for vegetarians and to replace the animal protein sources which are not economically viable for the poor, the Declaration indicated.
They could also easily replace junk food that leads to obesity which is a common health and beauty challenge faced by many junk food eaters, as pulses are low fat that reduces cholesterol level. Eating pulses a long time helps elongated youth and increased life expectancy, IYP points out. Heightened production of pulses, IYP indicates would lead to richness of edible seeds which results in the elimination of malnutrition and hunger and thus contributing to food security and sustainable food production in the world. Cultivation of pulses also have favourable environmental impacts on soil fertility and mitigation of climate change.
IYP informs, unlike plant-based dietary proteins, animal based proteins have detrimental effects on the human health and indicated that researchers have found that high consumption of meat can induce cancer, kidney ailments and other diseases such as high blood pressure and obesity. Saturated fat present in meat has negative effects such as increasing the risk of heart disease. Although protein is essential for growth, consumption of animal-based preteens can cause premature puberty and also it could cause various bodily discomforts, the Declaration indicated. In comparative terms, IYP says, life expectancy is more of person eating pulses than that of a person consuming animal protein.
The UN document touching upon the environment factor, noted that pulses has nitrogen fixing properties that help enhance the soil condition which results in high fertility of land. Crop rotation in such crop cultivation helps control pests in a natural manner without making use of synthetic fertilisers, it indicated and thus, reduced or zero use of synthetic fertilizers help mitigate adverse effects of climate change. It indicated that some species of pulses have the capacity of freeing soil-bound phosphorus which provides nutrition to the plants and apart from the nitrogen-fixing and phosphorous-freeing properties, pulses help enhance organic matter and microbial biomass in the soil.
Manjula Lanerolle, Managing Director, Glolan International (Pvt) Ltd, representing PISL said that Sri Lankans consume pulses such as dhal, chickpeas, moong beans and kidney beans widely, but observed that there are around 40 varieties of pulses grown around the world and most of them could also be grown in Sri Lanka. They also would support the different government agencies that are involved in encouraging the farmers to grow these pulses in Sri Lanka. Hemaka Fernando, MD, Hematrade International (Pvt) Lt and Member, PISL said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that by 2020 the number of diabetic patients would increase by 20 per cent.